The Soccer Thread

[jersey cubs fan]

The dude who got kicked in the head didn't really get kicked in the head, even though the announcer claimed he was scraped by the bottom of the cleats.

 

freaking fakers.

[wolf stansson]

Disclaimer - the post you're about to read is probably way more glowing than deserved, but dammit I enjoyed the hell out of the last 20 minutes!

 

Vindication!

 

Finally the glaring proof that guys like Szetela, Adu and Edu need to be on the team over guys like Lewis, Mastro, Wolff, Twellmen, etc. Before Freddy came on in the 75th, this game was a snooze.

 

The good:

Carlos Bocanegra - Man of the match for me. He was everywhere stopping chances and putting out fires. Physical, smart and the leadership is always there.

 

Maurice Edu - Came on much earlier than he probably expected for Beasley's injury. Showed great speed, smarts, physicality and made some good passes. Freed the ball to Szetela that set up the goal.

 

Deuce - Didn't do much early. Hard to say it was his fault because the Swiss had the midfield locked down and nobody was getting any good chances for him. Once the midfield opened up (see below) Clint did an awesome job of playing balls to the young guys and setting up Bradley's goal. The quick glimpse of the chemistry between him and Adu was freakin sweet. Last but not least the incredibly bad ass new kicks. I like the blue.

 

Freddy - Told Ghana to stop calling and got his first definite cap and nearly INSTANTLY after coming on for Twellman, his speed and instincts for finding space opened up the midfield which, up until then, had been harder to break through than one of the Swiss bank vaults. His touch, creativity and ball skills are unparalleled on the squad and have never before been seen in an American player other than maybe the ever improving Deuce.

 

Michael Bradley - Physically assertive as ever, made a few good passes and teamed with Feilhaber to shut down the midfield just as effectively as the Swiss except we did it all game. The goal was vintage Bradley from the u-20's. Charging on net like a bull and putting in the loose balls.

 

Feilhaber - Moved out wide and made some excellent crosses, won balls, shut down the midfield. Solid game.

 

Danny Szetela - Told Poland to stop calling got cap 1. Only played about 10 minutes, but his ten minutes had me laughing they were so good. I didn't really know what to expect out of Danny playing with the big boys. I thought there would need to be more adjusting and granted the Swiss team was probably tired, but he came in and immediately showed he belonged. His long cross from the right into Clint was pure class and made the winning goal possible. Right into the box, right on target and right on time.

 

Brad Guzan - His performance wasn't anything special, coming on for the second half. I'm just happy because it is yet another capable body between Casey Keller and more caps. I love Casey, but he needs to stop. From what I've seen from Guzan at Chivas and today, he has good athleticism, good leadership and communication, good positioning and looks better than Hahnemann for the number two goalie job. I look forward to his tenure at Arsenal or wherever he ends up going. His playing the ball before the bounce at the edge of the box that led to a free kick was ill-advised in the wet conditions, but he made a very nice stop on the kick to redeem himself.

 

Steve Cherundolo - Played very well today. Solid defending, solid crossing, made no mistakes, showed some excellent speed and got forward well.

 

The bad:

All old guys - Twellmen was as ineffective as ever, Lewis was okay but I'd much rather have a young gun like Szetela in the games going forward.

 

Pearce - Gave up too much space in his own zone. If not for the superb midfield play I have no doubt he would have gotten exposed more. Also did nothing good worth noting.

 

Danny Califf - Shows some definite signs of stifftitude. Slow, fouling machine, etc.

 

Meh:

Gooch - Really wasn't that bad. Like Pearce, benefitted from the Bradley/Feilhaber choke hold in the mid and didn't really have much chance to be bad. Once again he was involved in a dumb one-on-one scuffle with his mark. The yellow he got was a terrible call and not his fault. If the right call was made I would be praising his ability to draw the worst out of his opponents.

[Guest]

Pearce - Gave up too much space in his own zone. If not for the superb midfield play I have no doubt he would have gotten exposed more. Also did nothing good worth noting.

 

From what I've heard people on here say about his previous couple appearances and what I saw today, this seems to be a pretty accurate evaluation. He doesn't really do all that much whether that be right or wrong. He's just sort of out there.

[shnsajax]

Disclaimer - the post you're about to read is probably way more glowing than deserved, but dammit I enjoyed the hell out of the last 20 minutes!

 

Vindication!

 

Finally the glaring proof that guys like Szetela, Adu and Edu need to be on the team over guys like Lewis, Mastro, Wolff, Twellmen, etc. Before Freddy came on in the 75th, this game was a snooze.

 

The good:

Carlos Bocanegra - Man of the match for me. He was everywhere stopping chances and putting out fires. Physical, smart and the leadership is always there.

 

Maurice Edu - Came on much earlier than he probably expected for Beasley's injury. Showed great speed, smarts, physicality and made some good passes. Freed the ball to Szetela that set up the goal.

 

Deuce - Didn't do much early. Hard to say it was his fault because the Swiss had the midfield locked down and nobody was getting any good chances for him. Once the midfield opened up (see below) Clint did an awesome job of playing balls to the young guys and setting up Bradley's goal. The quick glimpse of the chemistry between him and Adu was freakin sweet. Last but not least the incredibly bad ass new kicks. I like the blue.

 

Freddy - Told Ghana to stop calling and got his first definite cap and nearly INSTANTLY after coming on for Twellman, his speed and instincts for finding space opened up the midfield which, up until then, had been harder to break through than one of the Swiss bank vaults. His touch, creativity and ball skills are unparalleled on the squad and have never before been seen in an American player other than maybe the ever improving Deuce.

 

Michael Bradley - Physically assertive as ever, made a few good passes and teamed with Feilhaber to shut down the midfield just as effectively as the Swiss except we did it all game. The goal was vintage Bradley from the u-20's. Charging on net like a bull and putting in the loose balls.

 

Feilhaber - Moved out wide and made some excellent crosses, won balls, shut down the midfield. Solid game.

 

Danny Szetela - Told Poland to stop calling got cap 1. Only played about 10 minutes, but his ten minutes had me laughing they were so good. I didn't really know what to expect out of Danny playing with the big boys. I thought there would need to be more adjusting and granted the Swiss team was probably tired, but he came in and immediately showed he belonged. His long cross from the right into Clint was pure class and made the winning goal possible. Right into the box, right on target and right on time.

 

Brad Guzan - His performance wasn't anything special, coming on for the second half. I'm just happy because it is yet another capable body between Casey Keller and more caps. I love Casey, but he needs to stop. From what I've seen from Guzan at Chivas and today, he has good athleticism, good leadership and communication, good positioning and looks better than Hahnemann for the number two goalie job. I look forward to his tenure at Arsenal or wherever he ends up going. His playing the ball before the bounce at the edge of the box that led to a free kick was ill-advised in the wet conditions, but he made a very nice stop on the kick to redeem himself.

 

Steve Cherundolo - Played very well today. Solid defending, solid crossing, made no mistakes, showed some excellent speed and got forward well.

 

The bad:

All old guys - Twellmen was as ineffective as ever, Lewis was okay but I'd much rather have a young gun like Szetela in the games going forward.

 

Pearce - Gave up too much space in his own zone. If not for the superb midfield play I have no doubt he would have gotten exposed more. Also did nothing good worth noting.

 

Danny Califf - Shows some definite signs of stifftitude. Slow, fouling machine, etc.

 

Meh:

Gooch - Really wasn't that bad. Like Pearce, benefitted from the Bradley/Feilhaber choke hold in the mid and didn't really have much chance to be bad. Once again he was involved in a dumb one-on-one scuffle with his mark. The yellow he got was a terrible call and not his fault. If the right call was made I would be praising his ability to draw the worst out of his opponents.

 

Havent seen the game yet as my DVR decided not to record it, although it was probably my fault. I'm worried about Gooch making a Clint Mathis like fall from potential stardom.

 

Glad to see Sztella played well, knew he fit in with his aggresiveness however was worried about his quality.

 

Did Zizzo not play at all?

[Guest]

Havent seen the game yet as my DVR decided not to record it

 

FSC out here shows it being replayed in 25 minutes.

[shnsajax]

Havent seen the game yet as my DVR decided not to record it

 

FSC out here shows it being replayed in 25 minutes.

 

sweet, thank you.

[Jon]

Just finished it. It sure was nice to see Adu out there.

[USSoccer]

First, the most important thing here was that Szetela and Adu both are now cap-tied. Screw you, Poland and Ghana.

 

Second, Szetela and Adu showed why players like Twellman, Wolff, Ching, Lewis, and assorted other spare parts shouldn't sniff the field barring catostrophic amounts of injuries. Those two are going to be the real deal.

 

Third, Dempsey needs good players around him, not because he's a fouth option who can't come through like Donovan, but because he's at least two steps ahead of his slower, crappier teamates. You put other creative players with him, and he's freaking deadly. You leave him on an island with nothing getting to him from the mids, and you get what you got in the first half. The US should never play a game without some combo of Dempsey, Adu, Donovan, Beasley, Feilhaber or Bradley and Altidore in the game. Anymore. Ever. You have to have at least 4 of them on the field together. That's got the makings of a very intriguing, attacking core that we haven't had, like ever.

 

Why was Danny Califf on this roster? Why did he play? He sucks and has no future with the 'Nats.

 

I like the fact that we got a win in Europe, against a decent side. I like the fact that Adu and Clint hooked up for a very nice exchange late.

 

Twellman and Lewis shouldn't play anymore. Gooch is nearing backup status in my world.

[shnsajax]

what the hell is with the telephone dialing sound that randomly appears on fox soccer channel? Its been that way for a long time too.

[MPC]

the last 10 minutes of the match made me very excited about the future of us soccer.

[USSoccer]

Is this Adu's debut with the big boys? Looks like he's making a positive impact.

 

He played about 5 minutes in a game against Canada in early 2006, but this is his formal international debut.

[wolf stansson]

The US should never play a game without some combo of Dempsey, Adu, Donovan, Beasley, Feilhaber or Bradley and Altidore in the game. Anymore. Ever.

Seriously.

 

Bradley is going to have to get creative with his lineups to get as many of these guys on the field. I really liked Edu as well and think he needs some consideration as well. Barring injury, those 8 need to be called up to every major international competition.

 

I'm pretty excited for our olympic squad.

[USSoccer]

The US should never play a game without some combo of Dempsey, Adu, Donovan, Beasley, Feilhaber or Bradley and Altidore in the game. Anymore. Ever.

Seriously.

 

Bradley is going to have to get creative with his lineups to get as many of these guys on the field. I really liked Edu as well and think he needs some consideration as well. Barring injury, those 8 need to be called up to every major international competition.

 

I'm pretty excited for our olympic squad.

 

I really would like to see a 3-5-2. That gets our 8 best on the field.

[Marco4]

Thanks, US, for winning my bet at 10/3.

[shnsajax]

Van Persie out for a month with a knee injury. This is gonna hurt Arsenal as he has really been playing well for the past couple of weeks.

 

Drogba sounds all but gone from Chelsea. Wants to go to AC, Inter, Braca, or Real. Guess he wants another payday.

[wolf stansson]

The US should never play a game without some combo of Dempsey, Adu, Donovan, Beasley, Feilhaber or Bradley and Altidore in the game. Anymore. Ever.

Seriously.

 

Bradley is going to have to get creative with his lineups to get as many of these guys on the field. I really liked Edu as well and think he needs some consideration as well. Barring injury, those 8 need to be called up to every major international competition.

 

I'm pretty excited for our olympic squad.

 

I really would like to see a 3-5-2. That gets our 8 best on the field.

Not to mention gets Onyewu off the field; which is nice.

 

We're going to have to develop a legit right back to make it work well.

[wolf stansson]

Ives says New Castle interested in Eddie Johnson and possibly Jozy.

 

http://njmg.typepad.com/sbi/2007/10/newcastle-unite.html#more

The large crowd in attendance to watch the Red Bulls beat Kansas City on Saturday included one very interested spectator. Newcastle United's chief scout was in attendance and, while sources state he was there to gauge the quality of play in Major League Soccer, it appears he was there to scout a particular player.

 

No, it wasn't Jozy Altidore, at least that is what sources tell me. The scout was there to see Wizards forward Eddie Johnson, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

 

It wasn't exactly the best game for Johnson, who missed a penalty kick and didn't really go off, but Newcastle can't be blamed for being interested in an athletic forward who qualifies for a work permit AND who can come on a free transfer in during the winter. Also, if your team had Michael Owen, who is always a risk to get hurt, wouldn't you be looking for some inexpensive mid-season alternatives at forward?

 

And before you go ripping on the scout (whose name I wasn't able to get) for looking at Johnson instead of Altidore, he did meet with Altidore after the match. I saw the two chatting outside the Red Bulls locker room afterwards. A source close to Altidore insists that it was just a casual handshake and chat but let's face it, if the scout is worth his salt, he knows who Altidore is and surely watched him with some added interest on Saturday. Unfortunately for Jozy, he was used out of position and didn't have one of his best matches either. Even with that, the scout still saw a a skillful and athletic player with impressive size who just so happens to still be 17.

 

Eddie working with a quality manager, striker and team would be good things, good things.

[sethuel1]

I finally watched the game this afternoon, and I have to say that I love Freddy Adu. Did anyone else notice the fact that he stuck his leg behind himself and hooked down that longball in injury time, then made a move, got brought down, and then got pissy when the guy that brought him down did the I'm-pretending-I'm-Checking-On-You-But-I'm-Actually-Trying-To-Make-You-Get-Up move. Just fantastic.

[wolf stansson]

I wasn't sure I saw that move because the announcers didn't say anything. I'm glad to hear I wasn't imagining the behind the back touch. That was sweet.

[Guest]

Havent seen the game yet as my DVR decided not to record it

 

FSC out here shows it being replayed in 25 minutes.

 

Thanks. I DVR'd the second airing and am going to watch it after the Indians game.

[USSoccer]

I finally watched the game this afternoon, and I have to say that I love Freddy Adu. Did anyone else notice the fact that he stuck his leg behind himself and hooked down that longball in injury time, then made a move, got brought down, and then got pissy when the guy that brought him down did the I'm-pretending-I'm-Checking-On-You-But-I'm-Actually-Trying-To-Make-You-Get-Up move. Just fantastic.

 

I like the fact that, aside from Clint, Szetela, Adu and Bradley all seem to be pretty edgy. We need players that defer less to the opponents and take none of their crap.

[sethuel1]

I finally watched the game this afternoon, and I have to say that I love Freddy Adu. Did anyone else notice the fact that he stuck his leg behind himself and hooked down that longball in injury time, then made a move, got brought down, and then got pissy when the guy that brought him down did the I'm-pretending-I'm-Checking-On-You-But-I'm-Actually-Trying-To-Make-You-Get-Up move. Just fantastic.

 

I like the fact that, aside from Clint, Szetela, Adu and Bradley all seem to be pretty edgy. We need players that defer less to the opponents and take none of their crap.

 

I also enjoyed Clint's chug-my-arms-while-walking move when he got subbed in injury time.

[wolf stansson]

I finally watched the game this afternoon, and I have to say that I love Freddy Adu. Did anyone else notice the fact that he stuck his leg behind himself and hooked down that longball in injury time, then made a move, got brought down, and then got pissy when the guy that brought him down did the I'm-pretending-I'm-Checking-On-You-But-I'm-Actually-Trying-To-Make-You-Get-Up move. Just fantastic.

 

I like the fact that, aside from Clint, Szetela, Adu and Bradley all seem to be pretty edgy. We need players that defer less to the opponents and take none of their crap.

 

I also enjoyed Clint's chug-my-arms-while-walking move when he got subbed in injury time.

That was hilarious. Findley is chomping at the bit to get on for his first cap and Clint's milking the clock and grinning at him.

[Jon]

Don't forget the huffing.

[Brendan]

Don't forget the huffing.

 

didn't realize they were playing in amsterdam